1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a novel vehicle cleaning element having a substantially flat planar cleaning body with one or more radially projecting surfaces projecting from the elongated cleaning body for reaching into and cleaning crevices and openings on the surface of a vehicle. More particularly, the invention pertains to closed cell mitters and rotatable cleaning pads of a substantially flat planar configuration having one or more radially projecting cleaning prongs or tines for reaching into crevices and openings on a vehicle and removing embedded dirt and debris from a vehicle in an automated car wash. The one or more radially projecting cleaning surfaces are designed to cooperate with the flat elongated surface of the pad by providing a combined rubbing action for removing dirt on flat vehicle surfaces while the projecting cleaning surfaces of the novel cleaning pad reach into crevices, angles and openings of a vehicle that otherwise are not cleaned utilizing the traditional flat elongated closed celled cleaning pads of the prior art.
The radially projecting cleaning surface may be disclosed at the end or intermediate the ends of the novel elongated pad. The radially projecting cleaning surface is designed to cooperate with the flat elongated portion of the novel cleaning pad by not only providing a traditional rubbing action for the removal of dirt but also to impart a mechanical advantage to the novel pad for reaching into crevices, angles and openings to remove dirt from vehicles that otherwise remain on vehicles utilizing prior art cleaning elements. The mechanical advantage is provided by the combination of the flat elongated surface and its weight or the use of stiffeners in combination with the radially projecting cleaning surface so that a portion of the weight normally supported by a section of pad is borne by the radially projecting cleaning surface to force the radially projecting cleaning surface into openings, angles and crevices. The novel radially projecting cleaning surface may be one or more radially projecting cleaning surfaces disposed along the length of the novel planar elongated closed cell cleaning pad. The radially projecting cleaning surface may include a plurality of radially projecting cleaning surfaces disposed at the terminal end of the elongated pad or intermediate the ends of the novel elongated pad having radially projecting cleaning surfaces.
The novel cleaning pad of the invention having a radially projecting cleaning surface may be mounted on rotatable cleaning elements or may be suspended from long elongated strips such as are common in mitter cleaning elements. In either cleaning element embodiment the novel elongated pads of the invention include a radially projecting cleaning surface disposed at an angle to the main elongated cleaning surface of the novel elongated pad. The radially projecting cleaning surfaces of the novel elongated pad may be disposed at the terminal end or intermediate the ends of the novel cleaning element and be included on one side or both sides of the elongated pad depending upon the particular type of automatic vehicle washing apparatus in which the novel pad is deployed. The novel cleaning pad with the radially projecting cleaning surface may also include channels and grooves for channeling water and dirt removed by the novel elongated cleaning pad. The novel elongated cleaning pad may further include radially projecting bristles, brushes or other cleaning elements disposed at or near the terminal end of the novel cleaning pad to reach into crevices and openings to remove dirt and provide an enhanced cleaning of vehicles in automated car wash systems.
The radial projection from the elongated cleaning pad project prong-like from the elongated pad at an angle of about 45 degrees to about 135 degrees and preferably 80 degrees to 110 degrees from the axial plane of the elongated member. The prong-like projection may be angled away from or toward the direction of travel of either the vehicle in the car wash or the directional travel of the moveable or rotatable member to which the novel elongated pad having prong-like projections is mounted upon.
The novel elongated pads with one or more prong-like projections or tines may be mounted on stationary members and take the form of mitter pads or may be attached to rotatable drums. The novel mitters and rotatable drums may be mounted in a fixed position in which the vehicle is moved through the car wash while the members are rotated or the mitters oscillated. Alternatively the novel mitters and rotatable drums may be mounted on moveable structures that move around or over the stationary vehicle as the brushes are rotated and the mitter pads are oscillated with respect to the stationary vehicle to provide a superior cleaning action for the vehicle in the automatic car wash.
The invention provides novel cleaning elements that are designed to maximize cleaning and minimize the use of space and valuable resources such as water. The novel cleaning elements may be retrofitted in existing car wash facilities and may be utilized in either stationary rotating cylindrical members or moveable rotating cylindrical members or in stationary mitters or in moveable mitters which oscillate to remove dirt from vehicles. The invention parts from the prior art by the utilization of radially projecting prongs or tines that project radially from the substantially flat elongated surface of the washing pad. The radially projecting prongs or tines projecting radially from the flat elongated cleaning pad differ from the prior art in that the radially projecting portion provides a resilient cleaning prong or tine that reaches into cracks, crevices and openings and efficiently removes dirt that otherwise would be left on the surface of a car or vehicle by a prior art cleaning element.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The prior art includes a wide variety of stationary, rotating and oscillating devices for holding a variety of types of washing pads and brushes for automated devices for cleaning vehicles. The prior art includes flat planar bristles, brushes such as Favagrossa U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,712 or planar deep pile fur-like pads as disclosed in Ennis U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,742 and more recently planar high density closed cell strips as is disclosed in Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544. These cleaning elements have been mounted on rotatable, cylindrical drums or surfaces such as Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 or hung from mitters as disclosed in Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,620. All such prior art cleaning elements do not include radially projecting prongs or tines to provide a radially projecting cleaning surface for reaching into openings and crevices.
The utilization of these prior art pads in automatic vehicle washing or car washes may be arranged in stationary applications where the brushes rotate and move with respect to a stationary vehicle or where mitters oscillate and move with respect to a stationary vehicle. Alternatively, and as more commonly encountered, where the vehicle moves from station to station while substantially fixed rotatable drums and oscillating mitters rotate or oscillate while the vehicle is drawn through various staging areas of the car wash. Similarly, some hybrid systems utilize a combination of both moveable brushes and mitters with respect to the vehicles along with both stationary and fixed portions of the vehicle car wash depending upon the particular system. In all such systems the goal is to maximize cleaning and minimize space and use of valuable resources such as water.
The invention primarily pertains to closed cell pads or strips that may be mounted in rotatable drums appended from mitters that oscillate as the vehicle is drawn past the mitter or as the oscillating mitter is moved with respect to the stationary vehicle. Prior art such as Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 illustrate substantially flat planar elongated pads or strips 18 which are mounted to cylindrical elements for cleaning vehicles. These pads and strips like the pads and strips of the preferred embodiment of the invention are made of high density closed cell foam material since such material does not absorb or retain dirt and is light weight and does not damage finishes of vehicles. The invention however like Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 pertains to elongated pads or strips which have one or more radially projecting prongs or tines projecting radially from the longitudinal plane of the pad or strip. The invention however unlike Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 provides a dual action cleaning provided by rubbing action for cleaning flat surfaces of the vehicle and a radial projecting cleaning surface for reaching into crevices and openings like fingers to remove dirt. Further the dual action cleaning of the novel cleaning element of the invention provides a mechanical leverage in operation to further assist in cleaning the contour of the vehicle.
The prior art such as Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,929 like Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 provides an elongated mitter pads having a plurality of slits and sections of different density for reaching into and cleaning recesses such as found in bumpers or in grillwork. Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,929 like Kirikian U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,544 does not utilize radially projecting prongs or tines from the elongated longitudinal surface of the pad or the brush and is not able to reach in and remove dirt utilizing a plurality of projecting prongs or tines that operate or function like the tines of a rake or resilient fingers to remove dirt from crevices and openings. Similarly, Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,620 provides a plurality of mitter pads having transverse slits through the longitudinal axis of the planar pad. These transverse slits of Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,620 are designed to provide finger-like cleaning action to enhance the cleaning of the vehicle. These transverse slits like the longitudinal slits of Hanna U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,929 do not radially project and do not provide radially projecting prongs or tines capable of reaching into crevices and openings for removing dirt like the tines of a rake or resilient radially projecting fingers.
Other prior art such as Clark U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,741 provides a plurality of wavy strips and slit patterns other than parallel for cleaning vehicles. These pads with irregular fingers like the prior art are flat or planar with the longitudinal axis of the pad or brush bridge over and do not reach into crevices and openings like the novel projecting prongs or tines radially projecting from the axis of the elongated linear pad. Other prior art such as Ennis U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,746 provides a plurality of folded cleaning strips having slits parallel to the elongated axis of the pad with fur-like inserts mounted between some of the cleaning strips. These fur-like inserts are disposed between the confronting surfaces of the folded pad and do not radially project from the pad to reach into cracks and crevices as the projecting prongs or tine of the novel pad of the invention.
The prior art flat coplanar fingers do not radially project from the elongated surface of the pad and are unable to reach into cracks, crevices and openings in the same manner as the radially projecting prongs or tines of the invention which reach into recesses and crevices to pull out dirt that would otherwise remain on the vehicle. The dirt removing efficiency of the novel radially projecting prongs or tines of the novel pad maximize cleaning and save valuable resources such as water. This cleaning efficiency can be obtained utilizing the novel pads in existing automatic car washing equipment or in redesigned car washing installations utilizing the novel cleaning element.